Imagine glancing out the window of your house on a bright summer day when you witness a scene that jerks you to tears. A young woman with an empty baby bottle in her hand is desperately knocking door to door in your neighborhood, asking for something that not one of the first three houses she knocks on has to give. It isn’t until the baby bottle-bearing woman arrives at the fourth house that she finds what she is frantically looking for: just enough water to make her baby a bottle.
This situation is one too many shared by Detroit mothers who have had their water shut off because they cannot afford to pay their household water bills on time. The precarious position they face is made more tricky by the ever present possibility of losing custody of their children if they are found to be living in a shut off home. And it isn’t just mothers who are facing the devastating consequences of Detroit’s aggressive water shut-off policy: over 140,000 Detroit households have experienced their taps turned off at some point since 2014.
When residents have their water shut off, many turn to community-based grassroots organizations like We the People of Detroit, led by Ms. Monica Lewis-Patrick who joined Science Policy Network - Detroit’s Water Panel on November 19th alongside three other panelists to share her valuable insight and experiences relating to the Detroit water shut offs. She shared the story that opened this blog post and others, as well as the fact that the federal government went from contributing about 67%-69% in national water infrastructure up until 1977 to only about 7-9% today. At the local level, Dr. Peter Hammer from Wayne Law pointed out the hypersegregation and structural racism that drives the regional water system to function as anything but a truly regional system benefiting all its consumers. Bill Wylie-Kellermann from We the People of Detroit explained how the Detroit water shut offs can be centrally traced back to the municipal bankruptcy in 2013 poorly handled by non-elected officials in emergency management who introduced the aggressive water shut off policy that continues today.
The Detroit water shut offs affect far more individuals than one might think. Ms. Patrick pointed out the immense public health impact stemming from just one household on the block without running water. Especially in the midst of a pandemic, the health of a community depends on the individual health of everyone involved. One of the current major pieces of legislation focused on the Detroit water crisis is the Detroit Water Bill — Senate Bill 241. The bill would maintain Governor Whitmer’s executive order to ensure that Michigan residents retain their rights to clean water during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is more to be done than what is covered in this bill alone, as Wylie-Kellerman explains. Water affordability is a major contributor to these shut offs, as Detroit has some of the highest water bill rates in the country. In the city’s plan for downsizing and restructuring, linked to the water affordability crisis, families are essentially being driven out of their neighborhoods. Dr. McElmurry expands on how the lack of routine maintenance and water infrastructure intended for a much denser population has had a detrimental effect on water quality and communities that lack the resources to shoulder that immense financial burden. A long term, income-based affordability plan in Detroit, as well as increased funding in the nation’s aging water infrastructure, is needed.
As students in Detroit, we have a responsibility to be aware of the issues that surround us, but it can be difficult to tackle immense and complex issues such as the Detroit water crisis. Replenish Detroit is a Wayne State University student organization dedicated to working with local organizations to promote advocacy and awareness for health disparities in Detroit, specifically the ongoing fight for affordable water. Inspired by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the group has donated over $5000 in hygiene and sanitation related items for the Brightmoor Connection Food Pantry —located in one of the hardest hit neighborhoods by the water shut offs — amidst other initiatives. To get involved, visit the organization on Twitter or Instagram to learn more.